Barcode Types – Industrial 2 of 5

Basic structure of 2 of 5

The 2 of 5 barcode is a binary levelbarcode that was developed by Identicon Corp. and Computer Identics Corp. in 1970, and is credited for spawning many other types of barcodes.

Basically 2 of 5 consists of 5 bars: 2 wide bars and 3 narrow bars. 4 of the 5 bar positions hold a value or weight. As shown in the diagram below, the 4 left-most bar positions hold the values 1, 2, 4, and 7 respectfully while the 5th bar position is a parity bit for self check.

As the table above illustrates, to obtain the sum of values of 5, a wide bar would have to be in bar position 1 and 3 while the remaining bar positions would contain narrow bars. In order to obtain a sum of values of 7, a wide bar would have to be in bar position 4 and 5 due to the fact that 2 wide bars MUST be present. Once again the remaining bar positions would contain narrow bars.

This simple structure breeds many types of 2 of 5 barcodes.

Industrial 2 of 5

At one point, Industrial 2 of 5 was the standard used for industry but due to several limitations, the CODE-39barcode type took its place. Conversely, its simplicity has made it suitable for cardboard printing and as a result it is now often used for management of physical distribution.

Summary of 2 of 5 Industrial Symbol

Character Composition

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